BRANDON, Manitoba, Canada, May 23, 2012 - The Government of Canada is investing more than $200,000 in facility improvement projects with the Manitoba Pork Council. Member of Parliament Merv Tweed (Brandon-Souris), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced today the investment for two projects.

"This investment will help improve animal health in the sector and grow long-term economic prosperity for our hog producers," said Tweed.

The first investment of over $150,000 will help improve the air quality of swine barns by testing the effectiveness of an electrostatic space charge system (ESCS) to reduce and prevent the airborne transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a highly infectious virus that costs the Canadian industry an estimated $130 million per year, states the announcement.

A second investment of over $57,000 will be used to conduct a comparative study of cropping systems to promote use of swine manure on Manitoba farms. The study is expected to help identify sustainable land management practices, which would also reduce waterway pollution and help lessen the environmental impact of the province's farming practices.

"These are potentially valuable projects for hog producers in Manitoba. As more farmers move into liquid-solid separation of manure, it is important to increase our understanding of how we can better utilize the resulting products in an environmentally sound manner," said

Karl Kynoch, Chair of the Manitoba Pork Council. "As well, we are always looking for ways of improving air quality in barns and to find better disease prevention techniques. We also need to meet the provincial government's regulatory process, and we believe these research projects can assist us in these goals."

According to the Canadian release, these projects are being supported by the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), a five-year (2009-14), $163-million initiative dedicated to the Canadian agricultural sector.

In this week’s Open Mic, Ambassador Darci Vetter, Chief Agriculture Negotiator with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, provides an update on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPA) negotiations, as well as the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks. Vetter says the nation’s agriculture industry cannot afford to be isolated from the other ninety-five percent of the globe’s population or growth in its middle class. Support from farmers and ranchers will be crucial in advancing an ambitious trade agenda, she adds.